Packing for Business Trips

I had to travel for work the first week of March and I'll be doing so again for the last two weeks this month. This means, I'll be doing my fair share of packing (yuck!). I packed for my first overnight business trip in the fall of last year, and realized I had no idea what I was doing. Somehow packing for work was way more complicated than I expected it to be (and harder and less exciting than packing for vacation). 

So, I decided to go with a black, white, and grey capsule wardrobe. It allowed me to pack only black tights and black shoes (instead of mixing in navy) which saved me a lot of space (I packed for a week in a carry-on).  This is one of the outfits I packed. I know, it's nothing terribly exciting. But, these pants are the the best fitting dress pants I've found in years. I prefer to purchase lightweight wool pants that are lined for work even though that means I have to get them dry-cleaned (I have to say, I welcome the lighter load of laundry). I find that they last longer, hold their shape better throughout the day and between cleanings, and are more professional looking. I was a little in between sizes so I sized up and the slight stretch worked to my advantage - they don't become baggy by the end of the day. 

This shirt is made out of what feels like heavy drapery. I'm not kidding. But in an awesome kind of way, because we know how much I love jacquard and peplum. So, of course I had to have it. I almost passed on it because when I tried it on in store (which I never do), the zipper was extremely hard to manipulate. I got stuck in the shirt in the dressing room. The sales associate had to rescue me. For real. But for the love of all things peplum, I had to buy it. And I'm so glad I did; with just a couple of wears, the zipper loosened right up!

Pants: here | Top: here | Cardigan: here | Necklace: here